


oats in the water

by dogyeom



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 23:58:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17990987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogyeom/pseuds/dogyeom
Summary: is it worth it? to put your heart first, when the whole world has crashed and burned and everyone around you only has the ambition to survive?





	oats in the water

**Author's Note:**

> this may be messy and badly paced but i just really wanted to write this 
> 
> here is a playlist for this fic:  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/oliviathescorpio/playlist/0onF3CHlBc9pa8NT255zbd?si=hzuH_C9OQJ6QZDV0Ja9DuA

 

 

~ **prologue** ~

_the shit that i’ve done with this fuck of a gun_

 

Wonwoo was far too young to understand when it happened. What they called _The Radiation_ . Wonwoo was eleven years and while he was an extremely bright kid, his talent in science class was left to be desired. Something about some nuclear plant or whatever in a nearby country exploding which caused, for a lack of a better word, _shit_ to spread like wildfire everywhere. Everyone believed that it would just wipe out the Earth completely. What had really happened was much, much worse in Wonwoo’s opinion.

 

Everyone exposed to the radiation was infected with a virus that activated when they died. It had taken a while for people to clock this, the countries closest to the radiation feeling the fog but nothing else. No one’s skin was melting off nor was anyone was hacking up organs. It was a hospital in Tokyo six years after the initial outbreak that warned everyone what the radiation was really causing. Three patients that had passed away had _come back to life_ , before promptly attacking everyone in sight. They tore at flesh with their teeth like wild animals and everyone they attacked that wasn’t completely devoured had the same thing happen to them.

 

The catch was, they didn’t appear at all like the zombies Wonwoo had read about in the comics growing up. They _appeared_ human and could control themselves - even speak and function like they were alive in order to hide their ailment depending on how harsh their virus was.

 

Wonwoo will never, _ever_ be able to erase the sight of his mother smiling softly at him before turning to his kid brother and tearing a chunk of skin out of his neck with her teeth. It was there every time he closed his eyes. His dad had grabbed him by his sleeve and bolted. That was two years after the “turn”, two years of living boarded up in the bunker his father had built for when the radiation became too thick. Wonwoo lost his dad a year after that, when they’d ran into a group of survivors while looting. Four large, hungry looking men in their late twenties or early thirties. Wonwoo’s dad put up an incredible fight and managed to take them all down with little help, but he came out with horrific injuries. A nasty gash on his leg got infected quickly and he was dead in two weeks. Wonwoo had screamed and cried for a God he was certain didn’t exist as he put a bullet in his father’s head before he could turn. Wonwoo was alone, his entire family dead, at nineteen years old.

 

He survived by himself for a while. He was nimble and small, could hide in plain sight, was extremely skilled at scavenging and could easily outwit the dumbest of the dead. The one thing he wasn’t strong at was _keeping it together_. He found that he would be crying himself to sleep almost every night and getting distracted by things he saw in stores or houses that reminded him of his family. There was one time where he almost got himself killed due to his dangerous sentimentality. He’d been in an old optician’s, looking for more contact lenses to help his sight when he’d come face to face with one of the dead. He looked just like his kid brother and Wonwoo had cracked, his feet frozen to the floor. The boy’s teeth had been inches away from his flesh before he snapped back to life and buried his knife into the boy’s skull.

 

Things got vastly better when he met Jeonghan. Almost six months after his dad passed, Wonwoo heard someone screaming for help as he was passing through an old main street. The boy was cornered by four dead ones and would’ve been meat if Wonwoo wasn’t there to take them out.

 

_“Oh my God,” The boy gasped for breath. Blood and dirt was smeared all over his face but Wonwoo could still see how handsome his features were. “Oh my God, I really thought I was fucking done for then. Man, I owe you my fucking life.”_

 

_“It’s nothing.”_

 

_“Really, everyone I’ve come across would have just walked on by.”_

 

_“Yeah,” Wonwoo breathed out, offering him a hand to help him to his feet. “Kind people are hard to come by nowadays.”_

 

_“You got that right.”_

 

_“Well, maybe one day you’ll be there for me when I need saving.”_

 

_The boy looked at him and smiled, the first genuine one Wonwoo had seen for three years._

 

Jeonghan was extremely skilled in survival. He knew how to fashion weapons from scrap metal and wood, he could start a fire in thirty seconds and was brilliant at hunting for meat instead of completely living off looted tins of beans. He also knew how to safely lure the dead into traps with meat he’d preserved while hunting.

 

Wonwoo was quick to discover that the pair of them had developed coping mechanisms that were very different from one another over their time being alone. Wonwoo was timid and liked to hole himself up, hiding away in small crevices he found in old stores and houses with the notebook he found. He scribbled away when he found himself too lost in his head. Poems, short stories, drawings - all memories of the world before. Jeonghan, on the other hand, couldn’t spend too long in one place. He aired his thoughts out loud often and would talk to stray dogs he came across - or even himself.

 

Jeonghan had been with a large group before he was on his own, after being separated from his family and his best friend Mingyu. He was the youngest of the group and his pretty face had made him appear delicate and vulnerable. He was taken advantage of and bullied into a corner relentlessly for years. At first, he had decided to put up with it. It was better than being out in the open, alone and exposed to a world of monsters. After three years of abuse Jeonghan woke up while everyone was sleeping, knocked out their watchpost with a lamp, and scarpered with a backpack full of weapons and the last of the group’s rations. They had come after Jeonghan, but when he ran into them again they had all turned. For the first time Jeonghan had taken pleasure in driving a knife into an infected skull.

 

Finding each other was like stumbling upon a pot of gold. It was a long time since Jeonghan had ever met anyone who didn’t want to hurt him and it was a long time since Wonwoo had met, well, _anyone_. They saved each other, in more ways than one. Wonwoo restored Jeonghan’s faith in people. He’d told himself that humanity had been completely sucked from the world and everyone left were beasts, dead or alive. Jeonghan gave Wonwoo a purpose. He’d been wandering alone since his father died, no idea where he was going, his only drive was to stay alive. Now that they were together they had a plan. They knew there had to be survival camps and Jeonghan was set on finding his family again.

 

“I think we should hole up somewhere for a couple days.” Wonwoo says as Jeonghan shakes the can of spray paint. They mark every town they check through with a green _‘JW’_ , just in case they ever need to retreat.

 

“Why?” Jeonghan already looks reluctant. He doesn’t even like when Wonwoo suggests that they settle somewhere for _one_ night.

 

“We’re exhausted, and almost out of food and bait.” Wonwoo explains, taking the can from him once he’s done and slipping it back into the side pocket of his backpack. “We need to rest for a while, regain energy and get some more supplies. We should find a market or corner store somewhere and board up.”

 

“There’s nowhere. The past three towns have been completely looted.”

 

“We’re still keeping to the perimeter of where the fog thickens. All other survivors and the dead will be going the opposite way. We’ll find somewhere.”

 

Jeonghan focuses on Wonwoo’s face, he can see the dark circles that have grown under his eyes and the way his cheekbones appear sharper than usual. He sighs and nods his head in defeat. “Fine. We’ll keep going until we find somewhere.”

 

They walk a mile or so more. Wonwoo’s calves ache and his feet are blistering. They’ve been on their feet for almost twenty-four hours, fuelled only by two cans of beans. Wonwoo feels like he’s about to pass out at any moment while Jeonghan looks stolic, striding ahead of him.

 

“What’s that?” Wonwoo calls out as they round a corner. There’s a huge building ahead of them, smacked in the middle of what once was a parking lot but is now covered in waste, heaps of dirt and weeds growing up from cracks in the concrete. The building looks like it was once a warehouse supermarket, but all the signs and lights on the outside have since been torn down, broken or faded.

 

“The doors are boarded up…” Jeonghan says, warily.

 

“Maybe someone didn’t want anyone taking anything from inside.”

 

“Or maybe there’s someone inside.” Jeonghan frowns. Wonwoo has been trying to think positively recently. Jeonghan always prepares for the worst.  

 

Jeonghan bends down and picks up a heavy rock from the ground. He nods at Wonwoo to hide behind a dumpster directly opposite from the entrance to the warehouse.

 

“I don’t think they’re gonna come out if you throw a rock at the door.”

 

“If they’ve been here long they’ll have a watch. If they’re smart they’ll have traps set up. If they’re dead, they’ll come out.” Jeonghan twirls the rock in his hand before lobbing it in the direction of door. It misses and smashes through a window instead. Jeonghan ducks back down behind the dumpster and curses.

 

Wonwoo leans down so he can peer from underneath, motioning for Jeonghan to do the same. They watch as a screen on the another window is lifted and a boy their age pokes his head out.

 

“Seokmin, there’s nothing out here.” He calls back into the window before looking out again and scanning his eyes across the lot.

 

“Jesus Christ.” The boy groans. “Seokmin, get up here. There’s someone behind the dumpster.”

 

“Shit,” Jeonghan spits, almost banging a tight fist against the metal of the dumpster. Wonwoo freezes as he hears the click of a gun.

 

“They have _guns_ , Jeonghan.” Wonwoo whispers, the panic strong in his voice.

 

“It’s alright, just do everything that I do.”

 

“Come out!” The boy yells out again. “Hands where I can see them.”

 

“Are we gonna try and run?” Wonwoo asks as he watches Jeonghan slip his knife from his belt.

 

“Hell no,” Jeonghan says. “They’ll shoot us in the back. Put your hands up.”

 

Wonwoo follows Jeonghan as he stands up with his arms raised above his head, knife in hand.

 

“Drop your weapons.” The boy says, his hands clutched around a pistol pointing towards them. Another boy of a similar age stands behind them, aiming an even bigger gun at their heads. Wonwoo gulps.

 

“Come on man, we don’t know you either. We were just checking if anyone was inside-”

 

The taller boy behind him cocks his gun and steps forward. “Put the fucking knives down.”

 

“Jeonghan,” Wonwoo hisses, laying his knife down on the lid of the dumpster. Jeonghan sighs and puts his knife down next to Wonwoo’s.

 

“Alright,” Pistol boy says, flicking his gun to the right. “Come out, keep your hands where I can see them.”

 

They walk out from behind the dumpster slowly. Wonwoo normally wouldn’t be as terrified as he is right now to see other people his age, but these kids had _guns_ and were clearly not afraid to use them. Besides, the solidarity of youth seemed to have dissipated a long time ago.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“We don’t want any trouble,” Jeonghan speaks, all confidence and strength that makes Wonwoo feel like a coward. “We’re looking for food and somewhere to rest. We’ve been travelling for days and we’re out of supplies.”

 

“Where are you travelling to?” He presses.

 

“To find my family. We’ve been following the fog, hoping to find a survival camp or something. My dad told me there was an operation set up before we got separated.” Jeonghan is calm as he explains.

 

“You know where your family is?”

 

“No-”

 

The boy chuckles. “Right, so you’re plan is to wander around until you hopefully bump into them somewhere?”

 

“We’ve got nothing better to do.” Jeonghan shrugs, seemingly unbothered by his condescending tone.

 

“We’re looking for somewhere to stay for a while,” Wonwoo speaks up for the first time. “We’ve been travelling for so long and we’re exhausted and hungry. I twisted my ankle pretty bad the other day. We need to rest. I know you probably want us to fuck off but this is the best bet we’ve seen for weeks.”

 

The boys watch them for a moment. “Last time we let someone in she turned out to be dead and ate one of our own right in front of us.” The boy with the pistol explains, malice in his tone. “Seokmin, go get the meat.”

 

The other boy scurries back into the warehouse through the window, returning moments later with a bucket in his hand. He raises his gun as he approaches Wonwoo and Jeonghan. “Try anything and I’ll shoot you in the foot.”

 

Wonwoo studies his face. He looks younger than him, his face not aged by the circumstances. Wonwoo can’t help himself from thinking about how handsome the boy is, even when he’s holding a gun to his head.

 

He reaches into the bucket and pulls out a strip of salted meat. Reaching forward, he holds it under Jeonghan’s nose. Wonwoo has seen this trick plenty of times - even done it himself. While some of the dead can be extremely clever, tricking you into thinking they’re human, hold meat under their nose and what’s left of their brain goes haywire - the only thing they can think of is to _feed_.

 

Obviously, Jeonghan and Wonwoo don’t even flinch. The boy nods at them. “Well, you’re alive.”

 

“That’s a relief.” Jeonghan jokes. No one laughs.

 

“Let’s go inside.” He says as he picks up the bucket. Turning to his friend, “We can discuss more in there. No point being out here where we might draw attention.”

 

Wonwoo and Jeonghan follow the boy with the bucket into the warehouse as the boy with pistol stays behind them, making sure they don’t try anything. They climb through the window and both of their jaws practically drop to the floor. The warehouse has been set up like a camping site. Crates and boxes have been stacked up to create a wall, blocking off the majority of the space so that the ‘living area’ is confined. Five tents had been pitched along the makeshift wall, trestle tables line the adjacent wall adorned with pots, plates, portable stoves and more boxes of food. A young girl sits on a deck chair in the middle of the space, a table of guns and ammo in front of her.

 

The girl looks up, her pretty face full of confusion. “What are they doing in here? Why didn’t you kill them?”

 

“We can’t just kill every person that we come across, Chaeng. We’re not psychopaths.” The boy with the bucket says, as he puts the bait back underneath a box. To mask the smell, Wonwoo assumes.

 

“They’re alive?” The girl asks, her eyes widening even more.

 

“Yep,” the other boy says, holstering his pistol.

 

“I’m Jeonghan,” Jeonghan says, with a friendly smile. “This is Wonwoo.”

 

“I’m Chaeyoung,” The girl reciprocates his smile. Her greeting to them shades more welcoming than her companions.

 

Jeonghan and Wonwoo look to the boys expectantly. Both of them still hold suspicious expressions.

 

Chaeyoung sighs. “That’s Soonyoung, who probably tried to pull some Western movie shit on you with his John Wayne pistol. And my brother, Seokmin.”

 

“Are they joining us?” Chaeyoung asks them, she looks almost _excited_ at the idea.

 

“We’re not just gonna let any old bastard in. Not again.”

 

“They’re just two kids, like us. You said yourself that we need more guys since…”

 

“Those _assholes_ were ‘just kids’ too, do you not remember that? Jihyo was just a kid and then she tore Mina’s neck out-”

 

“Soonyoung, _enough_.” Seokmin snaps. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

 

“It’s just us two.” Wonwoo says quietly. He eyes Soonyoung nervously, the boy is visibly angry and his hand is still resting on his gun. “This is all we have on us. We’ve been on our own for over a year now. And we haven’t met anyone alive for the past eight months. I know we may not have guns and we look pretty scrawny, but we’re good with what we do have. If we wanted to hurt you guys we would’ve done it already. Or at least _tried_.”

 

“How are we meant to believe you?” Soonyoung challenges.

 

“How are you meant to believe anyone anymore?” Jeonghan retorts.

 

“I understand,” Wonwoo continues. “I get it. We know it all too well, how sometimes the living can be worse than the dead. Trust me, we fucking know. But we can leave. We don’t want to take anything from you, we’ll get lost if you want.”

 

“Soonyoung, look at them.” Seokmin says to his friend quietly. “They’re fucking skin and bones. They look like they’re about pass out on their feet. And we know that they’re not dead ones, what happened with Jihyo won’t happen again.”

 

Soonyoung turns to glare at Wonwoo and Jeonghan. He looks them up and down then sighs. “Fine. You can stay. But if you try anything I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your head.”

 

Seokmin and Chaeyoung roll their eyes at the same time.

 

“It’s alright, we only plan on resting for a few days anyway. We wanna get back on the road soon.” Jeonghan explains. Wonwoo curses inwardly. He casts his eyes over the warehouse, the set up that they have is almost perfect. They’ve guarded the place brilliantly and have years and _years_ worth of supplies. From the sight of it, it’s clear they’ve been here a while too. Wonwoo wants nothing more to be able to settle down somewhere like this. To be able to _rest_ , and eat properly, instead of aimlessly wandering around.

 

“If you’re sure.” Seokmin says. “We have room for more people and we could definitely use the help. But if you’re set on finding your family, we can give you guys some proper supplies to take with you. And some proper weapons. I can’t imagine it being easy with just those kitchen knives between the two of you.”

 

“Are you sure?” Wonwoo asks.

 

“There’s five of us here, the other two are out on a run. We need more medicine for Chaeng and they’re looking for more ammo. We have a lot of guns. We can spare a couple.”

 

“We just accepted them in and you’re already letting them take all of our shit?” Soonyoung practically growls.

 

“Shut the fuck up, you brat.” Seokmin snaps back at him. “There’s five of us and we have enough guns for a troop. Stop trying so hard to come off as tough shit. We both know you’re not.”

 

“I’ll fucking kill you one of these days,” grumbles Soonyoung. Seokmin stares back for a second before cracking a blinding grin.

 

“Sure you will.” He laughs, giving Soonyoung’s shoulder a friendly punch. Wonwoo feels his mouth twitch. It’s been so long since he’s seen another sentient being other than Jeonghan and to see this kind of affection and playfulness is touching. It also makes his heart hurt, a little bit.

 

“If you’re only gonna be staying a couple days then we won’t bother setting up tents. I’ll go in with Soonyoung and you two can share mine.”

 

“Fuck no, I’m not sharing a tent with you. Not when you recite the exact schedule of the day while you’re unconscious.” Soonyoung argues.

 

“What’s the alternative then, you gonna make them bunk with strangers they just met?”

 

“It’s fine, we don’t mind where we sleep.” Wonwoo promises.

 

“Yeah, and if we sleep separately we can’t conspire against you while you’re passed out.” Jeonghan says with a chuckle.

 

Soonyoung narrows his eyes at him. “Your jokes make me uneasy.”

 

“Sorry,” Jeonghan shrugs. “It’s a coping mechanism.”

 

“You go with me,” Soonyoung says with a snarl. “I still don’t trust you.”

 

Wonwoo can’t help but smile. Soonyoung reminds him a lot of a cute little cub trying to be a menacing lion.

 

“So you’re with me.” Seokmin says to Wonwoo. The latter nods, avoiding his gaze.

 

“Why don’t we start preparing dinner. The guys should be back from their run soon and you two look starved, no offense.” Chaeyoung speaks, getting up from the deck chair and brushing off her jeans.

 

“None taken. We are.” Jeonghan says. “How can we help?”

 

“Don’t worry about it. Seokmin and I are the cooks. You guys sit down, you look like you’re desperate to get off your feet.”

 

Jeonghan and Wonwoo collapse into the deck chairs gratefully. Wonwoo reaches down to unlace his boots and inspect his blisters. They were a lot worse than he expected and he winces at the sight of blood dried into his socks. Jeonghan watches him with concern in his eyes.

 

“Hey, do you guys have like… a First Aid Kit or anything?” Jeonghan asks.

 

“Yeah, all the medical stuff is in that box by the ladder.” Seokmin points Jeonghan towards a large blue crate. Jeonghan returns to Wonwoo quickly with what appears to be antiseptic cream and bandages. He tends to Wonwoo’s feet, ignoring the younger’s apologies with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Leave your boots off for tonight. These are probably gonna take a while to heal.”

 

“Thanks, Han.” Wonwoo breathes out at the relief of the cream and bandages against his aching feet.

 

“It’s alright, bro.” Jeonghan clambers back into his chair with a sigh. “How are you guys getting power for the stove?”

 

“This place is powered by a generator.” Chaeyoung explains as she empties ramen packets into the water.

 

“Seriously?” Jeonghan’s eyes widen impossibly. “Christ, you guys hit the fucking jackpot with this place. How long have you been here?”

 

“Soonyoung and the guys were here three years ago. Seokmin and I found them about a year later.” She says, turning to them as their food cooks. “So it’s been quite a while, around as long as you guys I guess. Have you been on the road this whole time?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Damn, you must’ve travelled a long way then.” Seokmin says as he takes a seat next to Jeonghan.

 

“Yeah. Surprised we didn’t cross the fucking border to be honest.” Jeonghan runs his hands over his face with a sigh. Wonwoo suddenly feels a wave of guilt as he watches his friend. He knows that Jeonghan’s determination is unwavering. Finding his family is pretty much the only thing keeping him from going crazy. Maybe Wonwoo too.

 

Three loud knocks from the entrance rips Wonwoo from his thoughts. There’s a short pause and then another four knocks, quicker this time, before the others react.

 

“They’ve been out forever, better have shit for us.” Soonyoung says as he crosses over to the entrance and winds the makeshift blind up. Wonwoo notices that it’s fashioned in a way that you can’t open from the outside.

 

Their friends climb through the window, carrying huge backpacks.

 

“We have some newcomers.” Soonyoung says as he helps take the backpack off the taller of the two. The new pair step more into the room once they’re unburdened from their things.

 

“Mingyu?”

 

“ _Jeonghan_?!”


End file.
